


dancer and mage

by Kylaroid



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff, Deep Lore, Fantasy, Fluff, Gen, Lots of Angst, M/M, Magic, Roleplay Logs, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22250023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kylaroid/pseuds/Kylaroid
Summary: Koro is a young dragonkind desperate to rid himself of the terrible curse that plagues him. Aspyn is an orphaned elf, highly gifted in the arcane arts, with rare purple skin. The two meet and set off into the vast world of Micaerth to rid Koro of his curse. Together, they become closer friends and meet a menagerie of characters all throughout the towns and cities of Micaerth.///The work is the product of a roleplay between me and @enelya_p on twitter - just cleaned up!





	1. first meeting

Koro’s brows pursed for a moment, looking down at the piece of paper he had hastily written directions on and then back up at the building in front of him. The sign was a bit faded, but it definitely read _Monastery_. Koro shoved the scrap piece of paper into his satchel and pushed the heavy wooden doors open. “Hello?” It was dim inside. The halls were lit with lanterns that glowed softly. For a big city like Convallis, this monastery didn’t seem as busy as he would have anticipated. Koro walked down the hall and turned into what seemed to be a main chamber of worship. There was a shorter figure holding a few books walking in his direction. “Oh, excuse me. This is the Convallis Arcana Monastery, correct?”

The figure jolted—caught a bit off guard. “Oh! Uh, yes! Is—” The books shifted to the side, revealing a purple-skinned boy with long elven ears. Teal colored markings adorned his cheeks. “—there something I can help you with?” He asked, setting the heavy worn books onto the stone floor. He was filled with curiosity as to why someone would want to visit the monastery—let alone why a dragonkind would have business in one.

Koro took a moment himself to look the other boy over. _An elf?_ Koro had seen his fair share of elves in his short travels, but never one like this - with distinct purple skin and long droopy ears. It was kind of cute. _Focus_! “Uh, right! I wanted to speak to one of the mages or clerics about removing a blood curse.” Koro brought a hand up and awkwardly rubbed his left arm where the serpent-shaped curse mark snaked up his skin.

The elf looked at the newcomer’s arm, and was instantly filled with peak curiosity. “Oh my!” He said excitedly—his hands trembling faintly as he went in for a closer look. “Do you mind—” He started as he focused on the marked arm and brought his hands up to his flesh. “If I…?” He breathed, twitching his fingers with anticipation.

“Oh—ah, sure.” Koro glanced up and caught the light in the strangers’ eyes. He released his grip on his own arm and extended it out a little bit so the other could take a closer look. The elf had never seen a mark as distinct as this before. ‘ _This is incredible!_ ’ He thought to himself. ‘ _Well—not for him._ ’ He added in.

“Are you one of the clerics here?” Koro asked, watching as the elf admired his arm. Well, the boy looked a bit young to be a high ranking member of the monastery, but what did Koro know? The purple-skinned boy touched the dragon’s arm, tracing out the marking, investigating the curvature and any deviations it might have. Koro felt his skin jump a little as the elf’s finger traced along his arm. “Well, you could say that.” He started, “you see I’m the one everyone goes to for knowledge and questions around here—“

He suddenly noticed the tip of the marking. A serpent’s head—mouth agape with large fangs and a forked tongue. ‘ _A snake’s head?_ ’ He thought to himself. Something sinister, but… intriguing? “I see, so this isn’t a curse you were afflicted with—you were born with this correct?” He turned to look up at the stranger’s eyes and realized he had gotten a bit closer than what a normal person should. The elf stepped back some—created some distance.

“Ahh… sorry for getting close.” He said, averting his emerald gaze away. Koro’s brows perked up a little bit when the stranger had said that others went to him for knowledge. So he must be pretty smart after all. His brown robes with golden trims gave off an air of mysticism—suggesting arcanic knowledge and wisdom.

“Don’t worry about it, look as close as you need.” Koro grinned, revealing large white teeth. The other’s energy and interest was endearing — infectious, even. “Yes, it’s a genetic curse, passed down in my clan. So you’d be the person I’d be asking help from? Ah, geez, where are my manners? Here I am asking you questions and I never even had the sense to introduce myself. The name is Koro. What about yourself?”

“Hello there, dear Koro,” the elf did a tiny bow with his arms in front of him. “ I am Aspyn, the head of all arcane knowledge in this monastery.” A nervous smile flashed across his lips. “What can I do… wait I mean,” for a moment he had forgotten why the dragonkind came in. Halfway through the sentence, he remembered—flustered a bit—and then continued. “You wanted to see if we could remove this curse?”

Aspyn already started to think of certain ways this could be done, but he’d need some more personal, intimate knowledge of this blood born curse. “The head, huh?” Koro blinked, and then his surprised expression melted back into a warm one. “It’s a pleasure, Aspyn. It’s an honor to meet the head of the arcane here!” Koro’s hands started fidgeting with the leather strap of his satchel. He’d never met someone so well informed of the arcane before - he felt a little sheepish as someone with no arcanic know-how or talent.

“Yes! I’ve traveled a bit of a ways to find someone who could rid me of this curse. The, ah—“ Koro paused thoughtful for a moment, his eyes narrowing in a bit of a serious manner. Almost like speaking its name would give it too much power. “The Red Basilisk curse.”

Aspyn could tell this stranger, Koro, was nervous. There were plenty of rooms available but—what’s this? ‘ _The Red Basilisk curse_ …’ he thought to himself. Nothing was ringing a bell to him—even more intriguing. “Would you like to come this way?” Aspyn offered, gesturing his hands to his right side. “There’s rarely anyone here besides those who live here and worship. We can chat in the main library, it’s fairly private!” He said, ending with a smile.

“The library, hm?” Koro’s head cocked slightly to peer in the direction Aspyn pointed. It might have been where he was heading already, carrying all those books. “Oh, of course!” Koro eased up a little, smiling again. “Would it be alright if I carry those for you?” Koro pointed down at the books resting at Aspyn’s feet. He wasn’t sure if they were incredibly valuable and he didn’t want to risk offending this polite person who might be able to help him.

“Oh! Uhhh...” he looked towards the books, a little flustered by Koro’s friendliness. “Sure, but I’ll grab this one. We can carry them together.” Aspyn insisted with a gentle smile as he bent over and plucked the top book off of the pile. Although the last book was just a bit heavier than the rest, he didn’t feel as guilty for letting his guest help out by carrying a book himself. 

“Sounds fair to me!” Koro gave Aspyn another toothy grin and picked up the books—his well-shaped biceps quivering faintly under the weight of the books. He started following Aspyn’s lead towards the library. “So you said most of the people who are here live here. Do you live here too Aspyn? I hope it doesn’t sound rude, but you seem a little young to be a full time resident.” Koro said offhandedly.

Aspyn glanced back over his shoulder at Koro as he led them down the hallway. “I do live here, since I was a child.” He turned into a doorway, “trust me, I’m not the super religious type.” He giggled as he walked towards a bookcase in the middle of the library. Koro watched Aspyn’s back as he approached the shelf. _So he’s lived here all his life. An orphan perhaps?_ Still, this setting, surrounded by books, seemed to suit Aspyn. Dainty purple hands reached up and placed the heavy dusty book back into its rightful place. “Please, take a seat,” he said in reference to the table and benches beside the bookcases.

“Tell me everything you can about this curse, please leave nothing behind, the more I know the better.” Aspyn insisted. Koro set the stack of books down on the table and took a seat. “Right...” Koro took a deep breath, preparing himself.

“It’s called The Curse of the Red Basilisk. Or the Red Basilisk, the Serpent’s Curse, you can call it whatever you’d like. It’s a rare curse because it only occurs in dragonkind and in specific Weyrs. To be more specific, either the Kyoaku Weyr or the Banuego Weyr. It’s most common in Kyoaku dragons.”

Koro paused for a moment, deciding he should get more specific into the details of the actual curse itself. “Once every generation or so, a dragonkind is born who has black blood and a serpent shaped curse mark.” Koro outstretched his arm for effect—his claws tracing down the spiral-shaped mark on his forearm. “The black blood is what’s important for the curse. It allows a demon, The Red Basilisk, to become a parasite in our body. It uses the dragonkind as a host in exchange for great power.” Koro explained, glancing down somewhat somberly at his hands for a moment.

Aspyn listened intently to his explanation as he put the other books away. As he listened he grabbed a few books off of the shelf and placed them on the table. He sat on the opposite side of Koro, opening two books at the same time and diving in to look for some references. “A dragonkind only curse, hmm…” He thought out loud. Aspyn knew already that since it was confined to a species specific curse that it would have some sort of heavy background. There would have to be a reason, and a start to the curse. One only known by the dead, and the past ancestors of dragonkind.

“Tell me, how do you control this curse? Has it been rampant since childhood? Or can you seal and call on it at will?” He asked, still searching in the book’s text for some hints. Koro watched as Aspyn started pouring over books and digging through texts. He couldn’t help but feel a little hopeful, like maybe this nightmare might be over. Aspyn’s questions forcibly dragged him back into reality.

“Ah... well, I can’t call on it at will. It kind of, takes over my body whenever it wants. Mostly if provoked, although sometimes it seems to come at random.” Koro paused for another moment before adding in. “My family always told me that great warriors in the past who were blessed by the Basilisk could harness its power at will. Said they were the greatest brutes in the land during their times. I... could never do it though. Mother said I was too tender hearted for the serpent and therefore the Basilisk wouldn’t grant me his power. Always said that if I didn’t kill, the Basilisk would do it for me. Whether I liked it or not.” Koro hesitated, and then smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry I started rambling there! I hope some of this is useful...”

Aspyn looked up from his books and peered into Koro’s eyes, “everything is useful, no need to apologize.” He said with a smile. The elf closed one book and placed it back in its spot where it once came from, and pulled out another book instead and started to flip through the pages.

“Personally...” he started. “I can’t see any curse being a blessing, but that’s just my viewpoint.” He shared. Aspyn’s reassurance put Koro back at ease. He had a warm way of speaking that made Koro feel relaxed, happier. Koro nodded as he continued to listen to the elf speak. ‘ _I can’t see any curse being a blessing._ ’ Koro thought the same thing. He was glad Aspyn saw it the same way. The elf’s purple fingers underlined a sentence in the text as he read it sharply. “Well, I do have some information.” He started. “I have good and bad information, which would you like to hear first?” Aspyn asked as he closed his books and relaxed on the bench.

Koro gave a sort of half frown when he heard there was good and bad news, so to speak. “Let’s get the bad over with.” He decided, cocking his head slightly, folding his arms and looking towards Aspyn. Aspyn let out a sigh, “Well...” He paused, “I cannot remove your curse. I apologize.” He held a pause, unsure of how Koro would respond. “However...” he said, standing up from his seat. “Your curse _may_ not be incurable.” He continued, picking up a book.

Koro looked down thoughtfully. Not... incurable... It took his simple brain a few moments before he could put it all together. “I see... so you’re saying that it might be possible for my curse to be removed, but you aren’t able to do it.” Koro placed his chin in his hand and rested his elbow on the table. “Damn... I thought for sure my trek to Convallis would find me someone who could get rid of this curse for me...” He lamented softly. Koro’s eyelids closed for a moment before and straightened back up and glanced back to Aspyn. “Well, thanks anyways for your time—"

“ _Yet_.” Aspyn interrupted firmly. “I’m not able to do it, yet.” He clarified. The yet pulled Koro back in. Aspyn really was the sort of kid who loved a challenge, wasn’t he? The two of them were strikingly similar — unabashedly determined to get what they want.

“In the bluntest of terms, this is no ordinary curse. This is something rooted not only in your race, but your blood line and ancestral history.” He explained, pointing out a finger out towards Koro for effect. “To be quite honest, calling it a “ _curse_ ” is actually a little misleading.” He giggled. “Ah,” he cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is, you have another life form, an entity in side of you, that somehow lives on and breeds though the generations, it is a mix of a curse and a mutation really.”

“If you’re serious about removing this Red Basilisk curse, it’s not going to be easy.” He warned. He put all the books away, and sat back down—looking straight ahead at Koro. “You’re going to need certain magical artifacts, and incantations performed, and it will take trial and error considering the uniqueness of this curse. Are you sure you’re willing to go through anything and everything to get rid of it?” Aspyn explained, stressing a certain amount of seriousness in his tone.

“Yes.” Koro replied without skipping a beat, no hesitation. “I would do... anything and everything to be rid of the Basilisk. Even if it isn’t exactly a curse, it plagues my life in unforgivable ways. It’s certainly no blessing, that’s for sure.” Koro nodded again, perhaps to himself. “Yes, I’m willing.” He reaffirmed.

“Great!” Aspyn’s expression shifted into a warm smile—the seriousness from earlier draining away. “We’ll have a long journey ahead of us. Do you have a place to stay?” He asked. “You can always spend the night here at the monastery if you’d like.” His arm gestured to the library around him. “I’ll need just today and tonight for preparations, and then we can set off in the morning!”

“Oh, I didn’t have any plans for the night. Honestly, I probably would’ve just set up camp outside the city.” Koro shook his head, getting back on topic. “You mean, you’re going to leave the city, with me?” Koro reached out and gently took ahold of Aspyn’s wrist to make eye contact. “What about the monastery, it’s your home, isn’t it? Do you really want to leave to go travel with a stranger?”

Aspyn was a bit taken back by the kindness of the dragonkind. Something he’s never really experienced before. With a slightly confused look, he smiled saying, “I leave sometimes for projects such as these.” He started to explain. “Though to be honest this one might take a little longer than what I’m usually fine for.” He started to think as he ended his sentence. He turned his wrist and wrapped his hand around Koro’s. “To be honest, I love not being here! I hope you enjoy my business!” He said happily with an excited look as he shook the dragon’s hand. Koro chuckled lightly, leaning into the shake.

“You’re an interesting one, Aspyn.”


	2. little room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> " _“You know, it’s been...” he paused for a moment to think. “A long time since I’ve had such pleasant conversation with someone.” Koro explained, looking back up to meet Aspyn’s gentle green eyes. “I’m really glad I bumped into you.” Aspyn’s face softened as their gazes met—eased at those kind words. “I’m glad as well.”_ "
> 
> Aspyn and Koro settle in for the night and discuss tomorrow's plans.

After shaking hands, Koro’s hands rested back on the leather strap of his satchel. “So, where exactly in here are we staying? Do you have a room or something or do you just sleep among the books?” Koro wouldn’t have been terribly surprised to hear that Aspyn just sleeps in the library. “We do have rooms.” Aspyn chuckled, leading Koro out of the library.

“Thing is,” he started slowly—walking down some old well aged stairs. The wooden steps creaked under the dragon’s weight as he trailed down them. “Mine is the only one open right now.” Aspyn breathed a chuckle as he opened an old oak door. The hinges groaned as the elf pushed it open. The room was a testament to its age, and just a single tiny window was at the top of the room. Two or maybe three faint sun rays peeked through showing the dust particles floating around in the air. To the left against the wall was a bed, a very short bed, with aged wooden legs and a simple head board. And to the right, a desk, displayed with ink and a quill. Some scrolls and books were tucked in the corners of the room as well, along with a hat, and a brown cape tucked away in the far left corner.

Aspyn continued, “there’s only one bed.” He hummed—feeling rather guilty for his poor guest. “I can sleep on the floor, since you are my guest.” Koro walked into the room, the sun rays blinded him for a moment as he entered the doorway. It was somewhat small, but seemed to be packed full of character. Koro took a moment to admire the scrolls and books lining the corners. Aspyn must be a big reader. “Oh! Don’t worry about it at all! You were kind enough to provide a roof for me. I have a small sleep pack I carry with me, so I’m more than happy to sleep on the floor!” Koro insisted, pulling his satchel over his head and onto the ground, followed by the goods across his back. He had a modest backpack with a tightly wound bundle atop. It was like a quilt, a little heavy, rolled up and secured with leather straps. His backpack was made of a sturdy cloth and dangling from the back was a fine black blade with an intricate serpent handle. Koro grabbed the bundle and started to undo the leather straps so he could lay the blanket across the floor.

“Ah, alright then.” Aspyn responded. “I’m going to go grab some things, and let the elders know of my future departure. I’ll be right back, okay?” The elf needed to let the head elder know he was leaving for an extended amount of time. He also needed to make sure he could grab ample amount of herbs and ingredients for potions they may need in the future. Thankfully, he already calculated what exactly he would need so no delays should occur.

“Alright then, I’ll be here.” Koro said with a grin and he finished unfurling the rest of his blanket on the ground. The dragonkind sat on the floor, his legs crossed. Being alone felt odd for him, left him too much time alone with his thoughts. He figured he should always be on guard so the Red Basilisk couldn’t snake it’s way in and take over. He reached over and grabbed one of the books sitting in the corner. Koro flopped onto his back, raising the book over his head to skim through the pages.

Some time had passed, and Aspyn returned—arms full of supplies. He stepped onto his bed and sat crossing his legs, placing his supplies in the center of them. He bent over and reached for his boots that were to the side of the old bed. “Do you enjoy reading?” The purple elf asked without moving his eyes from his ingredients, sectioning them out and preparing them. Koro’s eyes glanced over to peek at Aspyn.

“I enjoy it enough—I’m not great at reading though, to be honest. I struggle a lot with some of the bigger words. My family was more interested in teaching swordplay than reading.” Koro chuckled softly — Aspyn probably would find him childish if he admitted that he liked looking at the pictures the most. Koro closed the book and returned it to the pile.

“Say, I hope this isn’t a rude question, but how old are you Aspyn?” Koro asked, rolling onto his side and looking up at the arcane elf.

“I may not look it but I’m actually fifty-eight.” Aspyn lied, but couldn’t contain his laughter. “No, no, I’m actually fourteen.” He said between giggles. The elf compiled some herbs in his palm and casted a very faint fire spell in his hand to char them. His purple fingers glowed and lit the room ever so softly. Koro’s expression was surprised for a moment before Aspyn’s laughter kicked in and everything made more sense. So they were the same age - coincidence, or perhaps some form of fate? Koro watched as Aspyn charred some herbs - the smell of the plants filling the small room. The elf looked down at the dragonkind, “how about you, Koro?” Aspyn hummed with curiosity, his gaze returning to his hands.

“I’m fourteen too, actually.” Koro noted with a small smile. He dug around in his bag and pulled out a flakey pastry and a small bag of deer jerky. “Pastry?” Koro offered, handing out the sweet buttery pastry towards Aspyn.

Aspyn noted his age as well—this was the first time he’d be traveling with someone around the same age as him. Normally it was always an adult or elder, sometimes the occasional young child who had a magical ailment. He looked at the pastry as koro offered it to him, “oh, thank you!” He gladly accepted leaning forward to grab the pastry. He placed it in his mouth as he finished putting his herbs and premade mixtures into the pockets of his boots. The elf became quite content as he chewed on the pastry, Aspyn was always one with a sweet spot for food. “Pay me in food and I’ll be your personal mage for each day you feed me!” He joked.

Koro opened the small pouch and pulled out long strips of jerky to chew on. “Well, I’ll have to get some more food, but I think I can make that happen.” He laughed playfully. “Another question I hope isn’t rude, but, what kind of an elf are you?” Yes, that was definitely kind of rude to ask. “I just mean, I only grew up around other Dragonkind. I’ve been traveling for a while and I’ve met a bunch of different elves - just none that look like you.” Koro reaches out to touch Aspyn’s ears, but then thought better of it and returned to his jerky.

“Well,” Aspyn took a pause. “I’m not sure really.” He continued. “There’s no records of purple elves like myself anywhere here, and I’ve never had any encounters with others as well.” He finished eating the pastry as he talked. “Actually, when I was little, I was told that I ate too many raspberries, and that’s why I turned purple.” Aspyn chuckled as he recalled those memories. Memories of a child being comforted and laughing in the corridors of this old monastery.

“I have many theories however!” He exclaimed. “Well, not to bore you with my drabble, but, I am hoping to find and meet another purple elf like myself once day.” He clarified. Aspyn took his boots as he was speaking and put them back in the corner by his bed. Koro sat back, silent as he listened to Aspyn explain.

“Your “drabble” is interesting, don’t worry about boring me. Maybe all the purple elves are down in the south! Maybe as we venture out we’ll come across one.” Koro mused pleasantly. “You know, it’s been...” he paused for a moment to think. “A long time since I’ve had such pleasant conversation with someone.” Koro explained, looking back up to meet Aspyn’s gentle green eyes. “I’m really glad I bumped into you.” Aspyn’s face softened as their gazes met—eased at those kind words.

“I’m glad as well.” He agreed. “I don’t get to have many conversations with someone around my age. It’s nice.” Aspyn laid down onto the bed and relaxed his body. Even knowing about the curse that plagues this poor soul, he felt comfortable around him. Koro smiled warmly, wrapping his arms behind his head and rolling onto his back. “Same here.” For the first time in a while, Koro actually felt at ease.

“So, where are we headed to?” Koro asked before taking one more piece of jerky and chewing on it. “ _Salimas_.” Aspyn replied simply. “It’s a secluded place, but I know there are some clerics with strong Holy magic there.” He elaborated, shifting and rolling over onto his side to look at the dragon. Aspyn placed his cheek in his hand—propping himself up with his elbow. “This curse is highly unique. It may take more than one person to remove it.” His tone was serious and steady. “But,” he softened his voice. “I know you’re willing to do anything and everything.” He smiled—echoing those words from earlier.

He truly believed what he said. Some people come in seeking advice but left because they didn’t have the strength, the heart, the willpower to do what was necessary. But something in Koro’s amber eyes was a for sure sign that he was dead set on this, and nothing could stop him.

“Well, I hope you like cold weather!” He said with a huge grin on his face. “Salimas...” Koro droned, trying to remember the contents of his map. A small secluded village up in the north. “Well, we dragonkind are pretty well insulated! But what about you, Aspyn? You look like you don’t have enough meat on those bones.” Koro smiled to himself—tightening the strings on his jerky pouch and placing it back inside his backpack. “Well, I suppose I like the feeling of being warmed up after being cold.” Aspyn confessed. “Do you fall asleep easily, Aspyn?” Koro asked as he laid back down on his blanket.

The purple elf took a deep breath, “too easily.” He sighed. “If I’m bored enough I’ll start to doze off.” He lazily laughed. He’d gotten an earful from the elders plenty of times for dozing off when he was supposed to be studying or doing chores. Koro smiled wistfully. “Sounds nice.” The dragon hummed. “How about you? Does your curse affect your sleep?” Aspyn asked with a curious look riddled on his face.

Koro settled into his bedding but kept his gaze towards the bed in the corner and the purple elf atop it. “No. Well, not directly, anyways.” Koro stated, his eyes rolling back up to the ceiling. “Well, anyways, you and I’ve got a long journey ahead of us, so we should probably get some sleep.” He said simply, and rolled over onto his other side, his tail curling up around him. Aspyn closed one eye and he used the other to gently look at Koro. He then closed the other eye. “Well, if you can’t sleep,” He started as he stretched on last final time. “Don’t be afraid to let me know so I can fix it.” He finished. “Sure thing. Night Aspyn.” Koro’s fingers intertwined with the thick fur on the tip of his tail - playing idly with it as he slowly drifted off to sleep. For one of the first times in a while since he left home, he didn’t spent hours tossing and turning. Maybe it was the smell of the herbs, or the monastery setting, or perhaps the warm pleasant company of someone who didn’t want him to be a brutal murderer. Koro didn’t care which it was as he fell into a slumber.

_///_

It was several hours later when Koro started to stir in his slumber. His tail started thrashing about the floor aggressively, knocking against the wooden pegs of Aspyn’s bed. His lips peeled upwards, revealing a wicked snarl lined with large teeth. His fur was practically bristling - standing on end. He snarled and growled and after a few moments of convulsing awoke with a start. Koro reflexively sprung onto all fours, panting heavily as he slowly sunk back into reality. _Straza_? No... that was a while ago, he tried to tell himself. But the nightmare seemed so real, so disgustingly vivid.

Aspyn had been sleeping, dreaming of eating some wonderful freshly breaded butter rolls. But something wasn’t right? The ground was shaking while he was trying to eat, and then—a loud thump! The bread case started to fall towards Aspyn as he was trying to grab as much as he could and then—Aspyn was awake. Unnaturally awake.

He leaned up and looked over at his guest, a feral beast on all fours on guard on his room. ‘ _Could this be the curse taking over? So soon?_ ’

He noticed the dragonkind’s very prominent fangs—teeth that could be dangerous one day, if he ever found himself at the other end of them. Aspyn spoke carefully trying to gauge the situation he was in. “Are...” he started softly, “are you alright, Koro?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

Koro trembled, still shaking in the aftermath of his nightmare. His lips slowly relaxing, hiding away his pearly whites. His breathing was slow, deep. After a few moments, his orange eyes rolled up to the bed. Aspyn. The monastery. He was safe. He slowly sat back down, wiping his eyes with his hands. “I’m.... really sorry, Aspyn.” He murmured, wrapping his tail tightly around himself. “Nightmares, they get the best of me. Better that you get used to them as soon as possible.” Koro sighed, pulling his legs tight to his chest. “Sometimes it’s the thrashing, other times the growling, and on some occasions the screaming...”

Aspyn never felt such… sorrow, for a person before. ‘ _This, poor soul_ ,’ he thought. His face softened. “If you’d like, I can help you sleep through the night with ease.” He offered. ‘ _I know I can’t make the nightmares disappear forever, but I can at least help him for the night,_ ’ he noted to himself.

Koro took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off his forehead - pushing his bangs back. “That...” He paused for another moment to take a second breath. “That would... be nice...” The dragon admitted, his muscles relaxing. He hated the idea of having to ask for help, especially after Aspyn was already going to travel with him to help remove his curse. But at the least if he slept through the night, he might not wake up Aspyn again. A small sympathetic smile formed on Aspyn’s face. “Here,” he murmured as he got out of bed and kneeled next to Koro. Aspyn inhaled, “close your eyes.” He instructed softly, placing his hand to Koro’s forehead. Aspyn guided Koro back down again with his hand on his upper shoulder.

“Sleep...” The whisper slips from his lips as he cast the spell—a faint lavender light glowing from under his hand and sending a calm and soothing wave throughout the dragon’s body. ‘ _I wonder if this is the first time he’ll actually have a calm night’s sleep in a while._ ’ Aspyn wondered as he looked down at the other boy. As the spell hit, Koro could feel a calmness rush over him—easing his frazzled soul. God, he wished every night could be like this. He laid back down on his blanket and curled up very much like a cat - quickly dozing off to sleep. Aspyn waited a moment, just to look and observe Koro’s body as he slept. Watching him breath for some moments as he pondered how his future journey will unfold. Aspyn’s eyelashes fluttered, slowly, softly, and then shut as he dazed off to the sound of Koro’s gentle deep breathing.


End file.
